


I Hope that it will Stay

by Spike_1790



Category: Buffy the Vampire Slayer
Genre: Friendship, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-03-31
Updated: 2012-03-31
Packaged: 2017-11-02 19:34:53
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,175
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/372603
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Spike_1790/pseuds/Spike_1790
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Spike, Xander and Dawn friendship piece. Possible pre-slash if you turn your head sideways. And squint.</p>
            </blockquote>





	I Hope that it will Stay

**Author's Note:**

> Written for tamingthemuse #? Innocence.
> 
> Song is 'Innocence' by Avril Lavigne

Xander was meant to be babysitting dawn. What he was really doing was trying to drown out the sound of Dawn’s music. She had stropped off to her room just as Buffy was leaving the house, yelling something insulting about Buffy’s hair. Xander had laughed. That had been a mistake. Buffy had rounded on him and told him in no uncertain terms that if he _ever_ agreed with Dawn about hair/fashion/ANYTHING ever, she would make him come over for dinner one night and let Dawn cook.  
   
Spike seemed to be the only being in the world who could stomach any of Dawn’s culinary creations. The first time Xander had seen this had been when the vampire was at the Summers’ house to collect Buffy for patrolling. Dawn had bounded up to him, offered him a cookie and he’d actually told her it “wasn’t bad”. Dawn had given him one of her blinding smiles before leaving the kitchen to do homework. Off Xander’s incredulous look, Spike had told him “I dip my food in blood, mate. Something’s DO NOT go with blood at all. This is good in comparison”. Xander had been torn between laughing and throwing up at the image of blood soaked food. Spike had laughed at his confusion and left as soon as the Slayer was ready.  
   
Buffy had insisted on patrolling alone tonight. She hadn’t waited for Spike to arrive. Xander was pretty sure Spike was here now though. He could hear the clomping footsteps that sounded nothing like Dawn’s own coltish strides. Sighing, he levered himself off the couch and over to the stairs. At first he considered shouting up the stairs at the teenager, but then realised she probably wouldn’t hear him over the music. So he climbed the stairs. His legs felt heavy and tired from the work he had done at the construction site and it took so much effort for him to reach the top.  
   
He decided not to knock. That way he could use the element of surprise and catch the vampire doing whatever dastardly deed he was doing with poor, innocent Dawnie. He paused with his hand on the handle. The music changed to something lighter, more melodious than the yelling girl band that had been threatening to deafen him since he got in.    
   
 _Waking up I see that everything is okay_  
 _The first time in my life and now it’s so great_  
   
Xander’s first thought was that Spike was trying to seduce Dawn, that the blonde had realised he couldn’t be with Buffy and had moved on to the closest he could get.  
   
 _Slowing down I look around and I am so amazed_  
 _I think about the little things that make life great_  
   
Xander flung the door open.  
   
 _I wouldn’t change a thing about it_  
 _This is the best feeling_  
   
Spike was on the bed. Reading a book. Making notes. Dawn was sat next to him, reading through pages of hand written notes and scribbles, the beginning of her history essay.  
   
 _This innocence is brilliant, I hope that it will stay_  
   
Dawn gave Xander one of her trademark smiles, welcoming him into her room. Spike gave him no more than a cursory nod before turning back to the open book.  
   
 _This moment is perfect, Please don’t go away_  
   
Xander felt awful. He felt guilty. Because he had misjudged the vampire. The vampire who was now singing along softly to the song.  
   
 _I need you now_  
 _And I’ll hold on to it, don’t let it pass you by._  
   
Maybe he should have said something. Maybe he should have thrown Spike out the house. But the easy companionship between the two made him think that this wasn’t the first time Spike had spent time with Dawn. Maybe he was the reason her grades had picked up again- especially English Literature and history.  
   
 _I found a place so safe, not a single tear_  
 _The first time in my life and now it’s so clear_  
   
Looking around, he could see signs that Spike had spent time here before. There was a crumpled up, empty pack of cigarettes on the floor, and a few empty beer cans partially hidden under some paper in the trash.  
   
 _Feel calm, I belong, I’m so happy here_  
 _It’s so strong and now I let myself be sincere_  
   
More than anything, Spike looked at home in Dawn’s room. Dawn’s smile changed from the happy, carefree one into a sad little grimace when she saw him looking at Spike. It was a smile that said “He’s my friend. Don’t make him leave”. Xander knew how Dawn felt about people leaving since Joyce had died. She needed Spike there.  
   
 _I wouldn’t change a thing about it_  
 _This is the best feeling_  
   
And from the contented look on Spike’s face, he was happy here too. Xander remembered the few times he had seen Spike with Dru; the way he had held her and looked after her. Had loved her.  
   
 _This innocence is brilliant, I hope that it will stay_  
 _This moment is perfect, Please don’t go away_  
   
He thought about Spike’s crypt. It was dark and damp and miserable. Such a contrast to the warm, bright, girly room they were in now. Spike tore off a sheet from the pad of paper and handed it to Dawn. His writing was impossibly neat.  
   
 _I need you now_  
 _And I’ll hold on to it, don’t let it pass you by._  
   
Glancing at it, she threw her arms round Spike’s neck, giving him a hug of pure gratitude. Xander stepped forward and picked up the page of notes. It was an essay plan. More than that, it was all the points she needed, clearly written with pointers and extra points that the text book wouldn’t have included. It was the closest Spike could get to writing Dawn’s essay without actually writing it.  
   
 _It’s this state of bliss, you think you’re dreaming_  
 _It’s the happiness inside that you’re feeling_  
 _It’s so beautiful it makes you want to cry_  
   
Spike and Dawn had obviously listened to this song together before, as they began to sing together, not caring that Xander could hear them. Dawn’s higher-pitched voice blended perfectly with Spike’s baritone.  
   
  _It’s this state of bliss, you think you’re dreaming_  
 _It’s the happiness inside that you’re feeling_  
 _It’s so beautiful it makes you want to cry._  
 _It’s so beautiful it makes you want to cry!_  
   
Xander had always thought that vampires couldn’t feel anything, that they were as dead emotionally as they were physically. But Spike was proving him wrong. He was challenging the preconceived notions of good and evil. He was harmonising with Dawn to a girly song, probably just because Dawn had said she liked it. And they were all stood or sat there, peaceably, differences set aside for the sake of the girl they both cared about. Because she didn’t want them to fight.    
   
 _This innocence is brilliant, it makes you wanna cry_  
 _This moment is perfect, Please don’t go away._  
   
Dawn shut off the CD player.


End file.
